Armed Forces: Contracts

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What alternatives were considered before awarding the Defence Technology and Innovation Centre, BAE Systems and QinetiQ contracts to develop a prototype 155 mm heavy gun for use on Royal Navy warships in support of land forces; what is the value of those contracts; what is the total requirement for such a gun; and what is the expected timescale to bring it into service.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The Defence Technology and Innovation Centre awarded a £8.1 million contract to CORDA (a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems) which allocated tasks to BAE Land Systems and QinetiQ to research the feasibility and associated technology requirement for the Army's 155mm ordnance to be fitted to the current Royal Navy 4.5 inch gun mount. This work stemmed from earlier analysis and feasibility studies carried out on four candidate naval gun systems:
	USA—BAE Land and Armament Systems (formerly United Defense) Mk 45 Mod 4 127mm (5 inch) gun;UK—BAE systems (RO Defence) 155mm (6.1 inch) third Generation Maritime Fire Support Proposal;Italy—OTO Melara 127mm (5 inch) lightweight gun; andGermany—MONARC 155mm (6.1 inch) naval gun.
	These systems are candidate solutions to address the MoD's requirements for a coastal suppression and naval fire support capability. The earlier analysis indicated that there would be cost and capability benefits of a 155mm gun solution but that further technological investigation would be required to support the technology. Work is currently under way to build a trials gun mount and firing trials are scheduled to take place on an MoD range next year.
	If the trials are successful, the MoD will have an option to proceed further towards manufacture and fit.

Armed Forces: Decommissioned Aircraft

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many aircraft, broken down by type, were decommissioned in 2007—08; and how many were (a) scrapped; (b) put into storage; and (c) disposed of to third parties.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Twenty six aircraft were decommissioned in the financial year 2007-08. Of these, the number scrapped and disposed of to third parties is shown in the table below. It is not possible to give a figure for the number put into storage during that year because, as part of normal fleet management, aircraft will be rotated through storage to replace aircraft undergoing repair, maintenance or upgrade programmes.
	
		
			 Aircraft type Scrapped/Used  for spare parts Disposed of  to third parties 
			 Hercules C130K 41 - 
			 Tornado F3 12 - 
			 Tornado GR1 1 12 
			 Gazelle - 63 
			 Sea King 24 - 
		
	
	Notes
	(1) Aircraft transferred to the Disposal Services Agency in July 2007 for scrapping/onward sale.
	(2) Gifted to a private museum.
	(3) Three aircraft sold to QinetiQ and three sold to a third party for scrapping.
	(4) The remains of two aircraft, destroyed in an accident in March 2003, were released from the RN Flight Safety and Investigation Centre for disposal during the period.

Armed Forces: Fuel

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What work is under way to develop and evaluate alternatives to oil-based fuels for aircraft, ships and land vehicles that are active or are planned for service by the Armed Forces.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The MoD has been working on alternative energy sources for several years. The Royal Air Force has led on examining fuel efficiency and alternative fuel sources, including the wider application of biofuels and synthetic fuels across the land, sea and air environments. In 1999, RAF aircraft were among the first in the world certified to fly on up to 56 per cent non-crude oil derived synthetic fuel. Since April 2008, RAF aircraft have been certified to use 100 per cent synthetic fuel. Work continues to achieve the wider use of synthetic fuels for ships and land vehicles.
	The MoD is currently exploring the option of conducting joint international collaboration with France, industry and academia to examine reducing dependency on oil, exploiting renewable energy sources and scavenging energy from waste heat.

Armed Forces: Nimrod

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What options are being considered for the replacement of Nimrod R1 aircraft; and when a decision is expected.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The HELIX programme is examining the future manned airborne electronic surveillance capability. Three options are currently being considered for the host aircraft: the Nimrod R1 aircraft; tailored Nimrod MRA4 aircraft; and the US Rivet Joint aircraft.
	A decision is anticipated in early 2009.

Armed Forces: Paratroopers

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many members of the Armed Forces are qualified paratroopers; how many entered training in each of the past five years; how many qualified; and how many were injured during training and had to be discharged from the forces on medical grounds.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: For the purposes of answering this Question, a qualified paratrooper has been taken to mean a trained soldier in the Army's Parachute Regiment.
	Those who wish to join the Parachute Regiment as a soldier do so in two ways: as a junior entrant, a recruit will complete phase 1 training at either the Army Foundation College Harrogate or Army Training Regiment Winchester and then go on to phase 2 PARA training at the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick (ITC(C)). If joining as a standard entrant, the recruit completes the combined phase 1/phase 2 PARA combat infantryman's course (CIC) at ITC(C).
	During their time at Catterick these recruits will complete the test week element of Pegasus Company's pre-parachute selection course, and if successful, go on to join the Parachute Regiment. They will subsequently complete the four-week basic parachute training at No 1 Parachute Training School at RAF Brize Norton.
	At 1 July 2008 there were approximately 1,400 soldiers in the Parachute Regiment.
	Information on the number of Parachute Regiment regular recruits commencing and completing training at ITC(C) is as follows:
	
		
			  Number  Commencing Course Number  Completing Course 
			 2003-04 627 190 
			 2004-05 588 169 
			 2005-06 522 183 
			 2006-07 561 204 
			 2007-08 585 197 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. These figures show soldiers only and include those attending the CIC PARA, and the phase 2 PARA course.
	2. The numbers commencing the course will include those attempting it for the first time but also some who are attempting it again.
	Information on the number of Parachute Regiment personnel attending basic parachute training at RAF Brize Norton is as follows:
	
		
			  Number commencing Course Number  Completing Course 
			 2003-04 152 143 
			 2004-05 168 153 
			 2005-06 64 53 
			 2006-07 262 255 
			 2007-08 140 128 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. These figures include officers and soldiers.
	2. The number commencing the course only includes those whose course completed and not those whose course was not completed due to unavailability of airframes or poor weather.
	Information on the number of recruits to the Parachute Regiment who have been medically discharged following injury suffered during training is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportionate increase in the endurance of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle results from the fitting of additional or extended range fuel tanks; and what is the additional cost of such an amendment in terms of (a) the cost of the programme; and (b) the cost per unmanned aerial vehicle.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: There is no current requirement to fit additional or extended range fuel tanks to the Watchkeeper unmanned air vehicle, nor has any assessment been made of the potential costs or endurance benefits of such an enhancement.

Armed Forces: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Lord Lee of Trafford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration have they given to purchasing further unmanned aerial vehicles over the next two years; and what plans they have to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles in support of operations.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We keep our capability requirements under constant review and consideration is given to UAVs, among other capabilities, when they might provide a solution to an operational requirement.
	The Reaper, Hermes 450 and Desert Hawk UAV systems are already deployed on operations. It is planned that the Watchkeeper tactical UAV system, which is currently due to enter service from late 2010, will replace the Hermes 450 capability on operations once it is in service.

Armed Forces: War Pensions

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What have been the most recent representations they have received from the National Gulf War Veterans and Families Association on their proposal to abolish the Pensions Appeal Tribunal as presently constituted for determining war pensions appeals.

Lord Bach: The most recent representation the Government have received from the National Gulf War Veterans and Families Association on their proposal to abolish the Pensions Appeal Tribunal was a letter to my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) of 26 September. Prior to this, a letter dated 26 June was sent by the National Gulf War Veterans and Families Association to Lord Morris of Manchester. A copy of the letter was sent to Ministers in the Ministry of Justice and received on 7 July. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Bridget Prentice) met with representatives of the association on 21 July.

Disabled People: Income Support

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What independent information they are seeking, and with what funding, on the current needs of disabled people for income support, especially those too young, too elderly or too severely disabled to have any prospect of finding employment.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: From 27 October 2008, income support paid on the grounds of incapacity or disability will be replaced by the new employment and support allowance for all new claims.
	Employment and support allowance is a radical move away from the existing system of support. Our underlying principle is to help a person back into work where that is possible. We have made very clear that we will not write anyone off.
	We recognise, however, that for the most severely disabled people, finding employment may not be an option. We will be targeting additional help and support on the most vulnerable through the support group and guaranteeing an income for those in the greatest financial need of £102.10 per week. For some people that is almost £16 a week more than the current income support rate.
	In addition, severely disabled people with care or mobility needs may be eligible for disability living allowance which makes a valuable contribution towards the extra costs of disability and can be paid regardless of whether someone is in or out of work, or also receiving employment and support allowance. Similarly, attendance allowance contributes to the extra costs of disability for people who become disabled after the age of 65.
	We will be evaluating the new benefit, including the commissioning of independent reports, to ensure it meets our aims and objectives and the needs of disabled people.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 July (WA 246), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is aware of any licensed centres for which the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is equal to or greater than that described in 2007 in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183—187); and how the figures reported in that journal compare to those in Professor Balen's 2005 report.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not collect data on the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). The HFEA keeps a record only of cancelled cycles reporting the risk of OHSS—in other words, cycles which have usually been cancelled, either before or after egg collection, because of a perceived risk as opposed to patients where there is a clinical diagnosis of OHSS. In 2007, this applied to 611 out of a total of 35,946 cycles. These figures do not enable the HFEA to track the total number of patients who are at risk of or suffer from OHSS.
	These figures are available in an updated version of Professor Balen's 2005 report (updated in August 2008), which is on the HFEA website at: www.hfea.gov.uk/en/1709.html.
	As the updated report has only recently been completed, the HFEA has not undertaken a comparison of the figures in Professor Balen's report and the figures reported in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183-187).

Health: MHRA Fees

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of the fees of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are raised from (a) the generic pharmaceutical industry; and (b) the branded pharmaceutical sector.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The information is not collected in this form and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Health: Needs Assessments

Baroness Cumberlege: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure pharmaceutical needs assessments feed into the health aspects of joint strategic needs assessments; and whether they will issue future guidance to primary care trusts to ensure pharmaceutical needs assessments feed into the health aspects of joint strategic needs assessments.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The White Paper Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future highlights that primary care trust pharmaceutical needs assessments should contribute to joint strategic needs assessments, which all primary care trusts and upper tier local authorities have a duty to undertake. The support programme on pharmaceutical needs assessment being devised for primary care trusts, led by NHS employers, is expected to include guidance on linking joint strategic needs assessment and pharmaceutical needs assessment.

Health: Organ Transplants

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements are in place to ensure that organ transplants are available across the boundaries of the devolved Administrations; and
	What arrangements are in place to ensure that organ donations throughout the United Kingdom enter a central United Kingdom organ bank.

Lord Darzi of Denham: It is important that organ donation becomes a usual part of healthcare and that as many people as possible are encouraged to consent to donation after their death. That is why all four United Kingdom health administrations agreed the continuation of a UK-wide approach to organ donation and allocation and to support implementation of the Organ Donation Taskforce recommendations published in January 2008. A programme delivery board established to oversee delivery of the recommendations includes representatives from across the UK. The aim is to increase organ donation by 50 per cent within five years.

Health: Patients per Doctor

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many patients per doctor there are in (a) England; (b) Wales; (c) Scotland; (d) Northern Ireland; and (e) each other member state of the European Union.

Lord Darzi of Denham: There are 420 patients per doctor (all hospital doctors and all general practitioners (GPs) (excluding retainers)) in England.
	There are 1,606 patients per GP (excluding retainers and registrars) in England.
	Figures for other parts of the United Kingdom are matters for devolved Administrations, and figures for the European Union are not collected. However, figures on the number of GPs per 10,000 population are available. The table containing these figures is shown below:
	
		
			 GPs per 10,000 population 
			  2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 Wales 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.5 
			 England 5.8 5.9 6.1 6.3 6.5 6.5 6.5 
			 Scotland 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.8 8.0 8.1 8.2 
			 Northern Ireland 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.3 6.4 6.4 
			 Source:  GMS Census

Health: Pharmacists

Baroness Cumberlege: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether community pharmacists will be allowed increased access to the NHS Summary Care Records.

Lord Darzi of Denham: In order to be able to carry out their wider roles safely and effectively, we are committed to community pharmacists having appropriate access to healthcare records. In addition, pharmacists will eventually need to be able to record their interventions in these records. However, confidentiality and security will need to be assured. All of this could be facilitated by the NHS Care Record Service being developed by Connecting for Health.
	We met key stakeholders, who in general shared our views, but there are concerns in the main about practical requirements to ensure that patient consent and confidentiality will be maintained and guaranteed in a community pharmacy setting.
	As outlined in the White Paper, Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future, we will undertake further work with one of the summary care record (SCR) early adopter primary care trusts to consider the benefits, governance and practical arrangements of community pharmacists having access to the SCR. We will then use the experience gained from this to inform a stakeholder engagement programme to consider how community pharmacy access to the care record service might be achieved nationally.

Health: Pharmacists

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will appoint the two new clinical leaders to champion change in hospitals and in the community in primary care as set out in the White Paper Pharmacy in England — Building on strengths, delivering the future.

Lord Darzi of Denham: We expect to appoint the two national clinical directors for pharmacy in the near future.

Health: Pharmacists

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they plan to introduce measures to standardise systems across primary care trusts for paying community pharmacies for enhanced services.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Model service specifications and a pricing toolkit have been published for local enhanced services within the community pharmacy contractual framework on the NHS Primary Care Contracting website at: www.pcc.nhs.uk/186.php.
	It is for primary care trusts to commission and fund such services according to local needs. The White Paper Pharmacy in England: Building on strengths—delivering the future indicates that the Government will introduce a further category of community pharmacy services—directed enhanced services—where directions are issued requiring primary care trusts to commission certain services. The details of these services, including payment, will be subject to discussion with NHS Employers and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.

Health: Research

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by Lord Triesman on 29 October 2007 (WA 144), 12 November 2007 (WA 1) and 12 December 2007 (WA 58) regarding funding of research, and by Lord Darzi of Denham on 10 January 2008 (WA 216) regarding compliance with the February 2004 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines by the Newcastle primary care trust, what progress has been made in the relevant research; and what are the primary objectives of funding by the Medical Research Council and primary care trusts with regard to healthcare provision.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority placed the latest inspection report of this research project on its website on 1 October 2008 at www.hfea.gov.uk/en/1368.html#17. The research project is RO152. Section 5 of the report outlines the progress of the project and the use of eggs.
	The primary objective of the funding provided by the Medical Research Council (MRC) is to support the aim of the project, which is to find ways of improving the efficiency of therapeutic cloning, a technique which would allow scientists to create patient-specific stem cells and develop regenerative therapies for many debilitating conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson's disease. The MRC requires that only surplus eggs are to be used for the research, and the donor's treatment for infertility is unaffected by her decision to share eggs.
	The primary objective of primary care trusts is to engage with their local populations to improve health and well-being and commission a comprehensive and equitable range of high quality, responsive and efficient services within allocated resources.

Health: Rheumatism

Lord Steel of Aikwood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking following the declaration of the European Parliament on 5 June calling on the Council of Ministers to establish national plans to fight rheumatic diseases.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Through the musculoskeletal services framework, the department has provided the National Health Service (NHS) and social care organisations with guidance to support improvements to musculoskeletal services, including those for rheumatic diseases.
	The framework, which has been placed in the Library, sets out good practice for NHS and social care organisations to consider when commissioning and providing services. It is for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other stakeholders, to determine how best to use the guidance when meeting national and local priorities for improving health, and commissioning services accordingly.

Licensing

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the names of all members of the Licensing Advisory Group.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The DCMS Licensing Advisory Group comprises representatives of the following organisations:
	Action with Communities in Rural England;Alcohol Concern;Arts Council England;Association of Chief Police Officers; Association of Convenience Stores; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers; British Hospitality Association; British Institute of Innkeeping; British Beer & Pub Association; British Marine Federation; British Retail Consortium; Business In Sport and Leisure;Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; Cinema Exhibitors Association;The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform;Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations; Federation of Small Businesses; The Guild of Master Victuallers; Justices' Clerks Society;Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services; London Councils;Paterson's;Magistrates Association; Musicians' Union; Noctis; and Working Men's Club and Institute Union/Committee of Registered Clubs' Associations.
	Since the advisory group comprises organisations not individuals, representation at each meeting varies. Not all organisations attend meetings on a regular basis.

Licensing

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether all members of the former Live Music Forum are kept informed of discussions about entertainment licensing exemptions for small-scale performances of live music which are taking place with the former chairman, Mr Feargal Sharkey, and the Musicians Union.

Lord Davies of Oldham: No. The Live Music Forum (LMF) was established in 2004 to help maximise the take-up of reforms in the Licensing Act 2003 relating to the provision of live music, to monitor the impact of the Act on live music and to promote live music performance. The forum met 13 times, the final meeting being held on 16 April 2007. The forum's recommendations were published on 4 July 2007, after which it disbanded. The Secretary of State recently held a meeting with Feargal Sharkey in his capacity as the newly appointed chief executive of UK Music.

Licensing

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have determined from the survey of live music carried out in 2007 by the British Market Research Board on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (a) the proportion of interviewees who were responsible for the conversion of their venues' justices' on-licence to the new premises licence during 2005; (b) the proportion of those interviewees who started or stopped having live music since the new regime came into force who were responsible for the conversion of their venues' old justices' on-licence to the new premises licence in 2005; and (c) the proportion of interviewees who were working in the same venue since the beginning of 2005.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As the survey did not ask any direct questions concerning the responsibility for licence conversion, it is impossible to determine directly the proportion of interviewees who fell into that category. However, we did ensure where relevant that all respondents were responsible for the provision of live music at that venue. This means they would have had knowledge of any changes to their licence in relation to live music. The survey did not ask about the length of time the interviewee had been working at the venue but did ask a related question about the length of time they had been responsible for live music at the venue. The contractors reported that 60 per cent of respondents had held this responsibility for more than two years. This may be an underestimate as some of the 40 per cent who did not hold the responsibility may have worked there for longer than two years in some other capacity.

Licensing: Circuses

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What consideration they have given to exempting circus performances from the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We have consulted circuses directly about their experience of the Licensing Act 2003, and Ministers and officials have met circus representatives on several occasions to hear their concerns. While I am not convinced that licensable activities should be exempt simply because they are carried on within a circus, I do recognise the particular regulatory burdens placed on travelling tented circuses because they move from site to site. We are looking at how we can simplify aspects of the application processes to relieve some of the burden and have also agreed to look at the feasibility of alternative licensing arrangements which better reflect the nature of travelling entertainment performed at multiple sites.

Licensing: Live Music

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why there was a delay in the development of exemptions within the Licensing Act 2003 for small-scale performances of live music of more than a year after the Live Music Forum and the Musicians Union called for the implementation of such exemptions as a matter of urgency.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There was no delay. The DCMS has been developing options for consultation to exempt low impact (de minimis) licensing activities from the scope of the 2003 Act. The Government do not undertake amendments to primary legislation lightly, particularly in the case of legislation which was only brought fully into force within the past three years. As part of that work, we are considering exemptions for small and incidental live music events, taking into account the recommendations made by the Live Music Forum. Officials have had discussions with stakeholders, including the Musicians' Union, which aim to develop exemptions that can benefit live music without jeopardising the licensing objectives. We hope to publish a consultation document in the autumn, and subject to the outcome, to have the exemptions in place by spring 2009.

Modernising Scientific Careers

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) whether there has been any preliminary formal or informal consultation on the proposals contained in the leaflet Modernising Scientific Careers, published in June 2008; (b) what feedback they have received from such consultation; and (c) when they expect a timetable for formal consultation to be published.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The proposals contained in the Modernising Scientific Careers leaflet were informed by discussions with stakeholders and had broad support. The proposals have been modified following the leaflet's publication and further feedback. We have ongoing discussions with a wide range of stakeholders including employers, education commissioners and higher education institutes. We are holding listening events in each strategic health authority for practitioners, as well as an open invitation to engage, in order to further refine the proposals. We expect to publish a next steps document later this year.

Northern Ireland Office

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the percentage change in the number employed in the Northern Ireland Office over the past year.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The percentage change for staff employed within the Northern Ireland Office over the last year is -0.14 per cent.

Prisoners: Remand

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of prisoners currently held in prisons in Northern Ireland are on remand.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: At 1 October, 39.7 per cent of prisoners held in prison in Northern Ireland were on remand.

Public Prosecution Service

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the time taken by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland to process cases; whether they have taken any steps to reduce processing times; and, if so, what those steps are.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Public Prosecution Service keeps records of the times taken for cases to pass through various key stages in the prosecution process.
	In order to reduce avoidable delay in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, Ministers commissioned the Criminal Justice Board to develop performance standards to be achieved by 31 March 2011. These were announced in June 2007 and comprise three of the five KPI targets contained in the Government's Justice for All public service agreement. These standards commenced with effect from 1 April 2008 and progress will be closely monitored over the course of the next three financial years by the multiagency delay action team (DAT) on behalf of the Criminal Justice Board and Ministers. These standards augment the DAT's existing programme of work: a multifaceted joint strategy designed to deliver justice more effectively and efficiently which is aimed at speeding and streamlining communications and transactions between police and prosecution and the courts, with the overall aim to try to remove avoidable and unnecessary delay in criminal case processing in Northern Ireland. While we have only relatively recently embarked on the formal three-year process towards the achievement of these performance standards, early indications on progress thus far are positive.

Public Prosecution Service

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many (a) full-time and (b) part-time personnel are currently employed in the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: This is an operational matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland. I have asked him to reply to the noble Lord, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Official Report and the Library of the House.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 September (WA 419—20), when the discussions about the provision of new rolling stock for National Express East Anglia commenced; and when they expect the deed of amendment to the franchise agreement to be signed.

Lord Adonis: The initial presentation from National Express East Anglia to the Department for Transport on the subject of the provision of additional rolling stock took place in December 2007.
	The timing of any deed of amendment to the franchise agreement is uncertain as it will depend on the progress of the commercial negotiations between the parties.

Railways: Rolling Stock

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 September (WA 419), when the discussions with TransPennine Express about the provision of additional rolling stock commenced; and when they expect the deed of amendment to the franchise agreement to be signed.

Lord Adonis: The initial presentation from TransPennine Express to the Department for Transport on the subject of the provision of additional rolling stock took place in January 2007.
	The timing of any deed of amendment to the franchise agreement is uncertain as it will depend on the progress of the commercial negotiations between the parties.

Religious Tribunals

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the awards of religious tribunals are capable of being enforced by civil courts in the United Kingdom; and, if so, upon what terms.

Lord Bach: The awards of religious tribunals may be enforceable through the courts by virtue of the Arbitration Act 1996. This provides that where both parties agree to arbitration, the decision of the tribunal that they appoint will be enforceable by the civil courts if the requirements of the Arbitration Act are satisfied. If any decisions by these tribunals were illegal or contrary to public policy, they would not be enforceable.

St Andrews Agreement

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much time they expect will be needed for the full implementation of the St Andrews agreement; and how they are assessing that process.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Significant progress has been made on the implementation of the St Andrews agreement. Discussions between the Northern Ireland parties on those elements of the agreement which relate to the devolution of policing and justice continue. It is for the parties to agree how and when these powers will devolve. There are also important issues relating to areas already devolved which the Executive need to resolve. The Government regret that the Executive have not met since June. The Government urge the parties to agree a way forward which enables the Executive to resume regular meetings and enables devolution to be completed as soon as possible. The Government believe that there is no single issue that the parties cannot resolve through constructive dialogue, if they are willing to do so, and welcome recent statements by the First and Deputy First Ministers committing them to such dialogue. The Secretary of State assesses progress through his contacts and meetings with the party leaders and with the First and Deputy First Ministers. The Government remain committed to working with the parties to ensure the successful implementation of the St Andrews agreement.